New government center nears completion

The Onslow County Government Center, located in Burton Park, is expected to open in the last quarter of this year, according to county officials.

John Althouse / The Daily News

By Michael Todd Michael.Todd@JDNews.com

Published: Sunday, August 10, 2014 at 07:38 PM.

The red-brick Onslow County Government Center’s construction is on budget and slated for completion this year, county spokesman Todd Lyman said.

This week, work continued at the site at 234 Northwest Corridor Blvd., in front of which mulch for landscaping was piled in the large parking lot.

“It is approximately 90-percent complete,” Lyman said. “We plan for the project to conclude in the last quarter of the calendar year.”

The more than 100,000 square-foot building is on budget, he added.

“Currently, we have approximately 26 departments operating across the county in 28 separate facilities. Not all facilities are county-owned,” Lyman said. “Maintaining multiple locations is not convenient for citizens.”

He said the “challenge” of parking at the old buildings also will be alleviated at the new site, he added.

“The government center allows us to consolidate many departments and will facilitate better coordination and smoother operations in a modern, county-owned facility,” Lyman said.

The weather has delayed construction about a month, “but the contractor is making up the delays,” he said.

The building will house 100,000 square feet of office space and 10,000 square feet of storage.

The project’s budget is $20.45 million.

“This includes more items than construction,” Lyman said.

That total includes the cost to build the structure — which was budgeted for about $15.03 million and contracted for $14.26 million — plus equipment, furnishings and other costs, he added.

Monteith Construction Corporation of Wilmington, Raleigh and Charlotte won the bid after the project ordinance was set at $22 million by former Onslow County Commission Chairman W.C. Jarman on Aug. 6, 2012, according to the ordinance. The ordinance is the overall, anticipated project cost, Lyman said.

“The modern government center will also eliminate some maintenance expenses we encounter with the older facilities,” Lyman said.

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The red-brick Onslow County Government Center’s construction is on budget and slated for completion this year, county spokesman Todd Lyman said.

This week, work continued at the site at 234 Northwest Corridor Blvd., in front of which mulch for landscaping was piled in the large parking lot.

“It is approximately 90-percent complete,” Lyman said. “We plan for the project to conclude in the last quarter of the calendar year.”

The more than 100,000 square-foot building is on budget, he added.

“Currently, we have approximately 26 departments operating across the county in 28 separate facilities. Not all facilities are county-owned,” Lyman said. “Maintaining multiple locations is not convenient for citizens.”

He said the “challenge” of parking at the old buildings also will be alleviated at the new site, he added.

“The government center allows us to consolidate many departments and will facilitate better coordination and smoother operations in a modern, county-owned facility,” Lyman said.

The weather has delayed construction about a month, “but the contractor is making up the delays,” he said.

The building will house 100,000 square feet of office space and 10,000 square feet of storage.

The project’s budget is $20.45 million.

“This includes more items than construction,” Lyman said.

That total includes the cost to build the structure — which was budgeted for about $15.03 million and contracted for $14.26 million — plus equipment, furnishings and other costs, he added.

Monteith Construction Corporation of Wilmington, Raleigh and Charlotte won the bid after the project ordinance was set at $22 million by former Onslow County Commission Chairman W.C. Jarman on Aug. 6, 2012, according to the ordinance. The ordinance is the overall, anticipated project cost, Lyman said.

“The modern government center will also eliminate some maintenance expenses we encounter with the older facilities,” Lyman said.